"That, good sir, is but a fantasy of yours," replied the minister."There can be, if I forebode aright, no power, short of the Divine mercy, to disclose, whether by uttered words, or by type or emblem, the secrets that may be buried with a human heart. The heart, making itself guilty of such secrets, must perforce hold them until the day when all hidden things shall be revealed. Nor have I so read or interpreted Holy Writ, as to understand that the disclosure of human thoughts and deeds, then to be made, is intended as a part of the retribution. That, surely, were a shallow view of it. No; these revelations, unless I greatly err, are meant merely to promote the intellectual satisfaction of all intelligent beings, who will stand waiting, on that day, to see the dark problem of this life made plain. A knowledge of men's hearts will be needful to the completest solution of that problem. And I conceive, moreover, that the hearts holding such miserable secrets as you speak of will yield them up, at that last day, not with reluctance, but with a joy unutterable."
“這樣解釋，好先生，不過是你自己的想象，”牧師答道。“如果我的預(yù)感不錯(cuò)的話，除去上天的仁慈，沒有什么力量，無論是通過講出來的語言或是任何形式的標(biāo)志，能夠揭示可能埋在一個(gè)人心里的秘密。那顆因懷有這種秘密而有負(fù)罪感的心，也就此必然將秘密保持下去，直到一切隱秘的事情都要予以揭示的那一天。就我閱讀和宣講的《圣經(jīng)》而論，我并不認(rèn)為，人們的思想和行為到了非揭示不可的時(shí)刻，就一定是一種報(bào)應(yīng)。這種看法確實(shí)是非常膚淺的。絕非如此；除非我的見解根本不對(duì)，我認(rèn)為這種揭示僅僅意昧著促使一切智者在知識(shí)上的滿足，他們將在那一天立等看到人生中的陰暗問題得以揭示；需要有一種對(duì)人心的知識(shí)來徹底解決那一問題。何況，我還設(shè)想，如你所說的那種懷有這些痛苦的隱私的心，到了最后那一天非袒露不可的時(shí)候，不是不情愿的，倒是帶著一種難言的愉快的。”

"Then why not reveal them here?" asked Roger Chillingworth, glancing quietly aside at the minister. "Why should not the guilty ones sooner avail themselves of this unutterable solace?"
“那么，何必不及時(shí)說出來呢？”羅杰·齊靈渥斯平靜地斜睨著牧師說?！坝胸?fù)罪感的人為什么不盡早地讓自己獲得這種難言的慰藉呢？”

"They mostly do," said the clergyman, griping hard at his breast, as if afflicted with an importunate throb of pain. "Many, many a poor soul hath given its confidence to me, not only on the deathbed, but while strong in life, and fair in reputation. And ever, after such an outpouring, oh, what a relief have I witnessed in those sinful brethren! even as in one who at last draws free air, after long stifling with his own polluted breath. How can it be otherwise? Why should a wretched man, guilty, we will say, of murder, prefer to keep the dead corpse buried in his own heart, rather than fling it forth at once, and let the universe take care of it?"
“他們大多能這么做，”牧師一邊說著，一邊緊緊捂住自己的心口，象是有揪心的疼痛糾纏著他?！霸S許多多可憐的靈魂向我作過仟悔，不僅是在生命彌留的病倔上，而且也在精力旺盛、名聲良好的時(shí)刻。何況，我還親眼看到，在作了這樣一番傾訴之后，那些負(fù)罪的兄弟們有多么輕松！就象是被自己污濁的呼吸長時(shí)間窒息之后，終于吸進(jìn)了自由的空氣。還能是別的情況嗎？一個(gè)倒霉的人，比如說犯了謀殺罪吧，怎么可能寧愿把死尸埋在自己心中，而不肯把尸體馬上拋出去，聽?wèi){世界去安排呢！”

"Yet some men bury their secrets thus," observed the calm physician.
“然而，有些人就是這樣埋葬著自己的秘密的，”那安詳?shù)尼t(yī)生評(píng)論著。